Portsmouth council renews push for second parking garage

PORTSMOUTH — The City Council appears primed and ready to build another parking garage in the downtown.

Comment

By Charles McMahon

seacoastonline.com

By Charles McMahon

Posted Jan. 25, 2014 at 2:00 AM
Updated Jan 25, 2014 at 2:00 PM

By Charles McMahon

Posted Jan. 25, 2014 at 2:00 AM
Updated Jan 25, 2014 at 2:00 PM

» Social News

PORTSMOUTH — The City Council appears primed and ready to build another parking garage in the downtown.

Councilors voted Jan. 21 to get behind a request from Councilor Eric Spear to have the Economic Development Commission generate a report on finding a suitable location for a downtown parking garage that is not the Worth lot or Parrott Avenue lot.

The proposal, which passed the council by an 8-1 vote, tasks the committee with considering privately held properties and municipal properties and/or a public-private partnership.

The vote also allows City Manager John Bohenko to initiate negotiations with any private parties interested in working with the city on a public-private partnership.

Councilors voting in favor of the motion lauded Spear for making an attempt to move the issue of another garage forward.

Spear said he feels the EDC is the perfect group to work on finding a location for the city's next garage.

"The EDC has been aggressively promoting the idea of an additional downtown parking lot for at least a decade," he said. "They are motivated and they have deep roots in the business community."

Assistant Mayor Jim Splaine said he was excited to see the issue moving ahead in some fashion. Splaine said he would like the EDC to consider all locations, including an idea pitched by the Save Our Working Port group to put a temporary surface parking lot at the Port of New Hampshire.

"A properly scaled garage could be identified in a number of spots," he said.

Councilor Stefany Shaheen said she hopes the EDC will come back with a few viable options for a new garage. Calling it a "pressing matter," Shaheen said a new garage needs to be considered along with other transportation issues.

"We cannot delay on this matter any further," she said.

The only councilor to vote against the idea was Esther Kennedy, who said she is opposed to trying to solve the city's parking problems with only a garage.

"I'm very uncomfortable just saying a parking garage," she said.

Kennedy said she would instead like to see the city create an all-encompassing transportation plan that emphasizes the need for more satellite parking lots with trolley service.